And So We Fall
by Serenity2893
Summary: He cannot come with her, Annabeth decides, as Percy is desperately clutching her hand, the only link between her and the world above Tartarus. She cannot allow him to pay the penance for her mistakes. AU where Annabeth falls into Tartarus alone. (Major spoilers for Mark of Athena and House of Hades.)
1. Prologue

**A/N: Yeah, this story will be _extremely _AU, since this is a pretty major point of divergence. After reading House of Hades, (which, unsurprisingly, failed to make my Percabeth feels any better) I thought about what would happen if Percy wasn't with Annabeth when she fell into Tartarus, and basically, this story happened. **

**Pairings will be everything in canon. (Yes, this does include the depressing one-sided Nico/Percy thing.)**

**This prologue is pretty short, sorry, but the following chapters will be longer.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own what Rick Riordan owns.**

* * *

He cannot come with her, Annabeth decides, as Percy is desperately clutching her hand, the only link between her and the world above Tartarus. She cannot allow him to pay the penance for her mistakes.

"_You would do anything to save a friend."_

Her mother has spoken these words before, to him, and in that instant, that statement has never been more true to Annabeth. She knows that he would, in fact, sacrifice the world _(his _world_) _to save her.

She cannot allow that to happen.

"Percy," she begins, staring into his eyes and taking a long, hard look at them, knowing that this is probably the last time she will ever be able to see those pits of emerald green. "You need to let go."

She hopes that her words will have some effect upon him, but of course, he is Percy (Her sweet, stupid Seaweed Brain), and he vehemently shakes his head instead, increasing his grip on her wrist.

She sees it in his eyes then, that wild, frenetic energy coursing through his body as he tells himself that he can and he _will _bring her to safety.

(As if the horse could fly the owl to the sanctuary of the heavens above.)

"No," he replies, holding her gaze with as much intensity as she does to him. "You're not getting away from me, never again."

She tears her gaze away from his at that moment, because she can't stand to see the look of hurt and betrayal that will cross his face when she does what she is planning.

The betrayal that will eventually fade away, replaced by self loathing and a bitter insanity, his failure grinding against his fatal flaw.

(Like waves across a stone, washing away the scars of time.)

But still, she loves Percy more than anything or anyone, and she knows that she will be strong enough to survive Tartarus on her own, to eventually reunite with Percy.

(Her own fatal flaw, that deadly sense of pride, washed away the doubts.)

Yes, her mind is made up now, and nothing will be able to sway her decision, not even the relentless pounding of waves against resolve.

_I'm sorry, Percy, _she gazes back up at hopeful sea green eyes, one last time. _It has to end this way._

She allows her free hand, to drop down, and raises her broken ankle up, so very carefully, as to not damage the bone further. With deft, clever fingers, (Ones that intertwined so perfectly with Percy's, so very long ago.) she plucks a splinter from the wood of her makeshift splint.

Percy doesn't notice, so focused he is on his impossible task, and she knows that this is _exactly _the way it needs to be.

Without warning, she drives the splinter into the hand that links her to the Overworld. She feels it sink into flesh, snapping fragile capillaries and poking at veins.

When Percy drops her, the muscles in his hand instinctively slackening at the sudden pain, she knows that his tormented scream is not from the splinter.

* * *

_She descends into the darkness._

_Alone._


	2. Fool's Promise, False Hope

**A/N: Wow, for a 617 word prologue, this got a surprising amount of reception. Yeah, after this chapter, you might be able to tell that this story centers on fatal flaws and falls from grace. Initially, I was going to do a Dark!AU where fatal flaws consume all the characters and they go all crazy and evil and stuff. I might still do that.**

**Constructive criticism is welcome. Please tell me if I got a certain fact wrong; I try to do as much research as possible in order to make my stories accurate, but of course, I'm still very prone to mistakes.**

**Thanks to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed.**

* * *

PART ONE: DESCENT

* * *

Percy woke slowly, eyes blinking away the heaviness of sleep. _What...? _He dimly attempted to recall the reason why he felt like a part of him had been torn from his chest. A heavy pang of loss and self-hatred flooded through his veins, and he shuddered. His thoughts ambled about, slowly stringing themselves together until he reached a name.

_Annabeth_.

He felt exactly like he had all those months ago, back in the Wolf House, when he'd awoken, with only her name lingering in his mind. He'd found it strange then, that he had remembered a girl's name before he recalled his own. Now he wished that he could forget that name, that name that sent daggers of guilt into his brain. Annabeth had fallen, down into the depths of a place that he could never hope to reach her.

But...he had _tried, _hadn't he?

_(-"Percy, NO!")_

_(-"What do you think you're doing?")_

_(-"I need to save her, I need to save Annabeth! Why are you stopping me?")_

_(-"Percy, _please, _just...stop.")_

He groaned, his amazingly stupid actions replaying through his mind on repeat. Gods, he was the biggest idiot in the world. He sat up, slowly rubbing his eyes with his palms.

_Annabeth...you apologized to me. But in reality, I should be the one saying sorry. I...failed you._

He could still feel it, his hand wrapped around Annabeth's wrist.

_No...I don't want...Please, don't let that be the last time I'll ever see you. _

_("I'm sorry, Percy.") _Annabeth's eyes were the darkest gray in that moment, like an obscuring fog disguising her thoughts, hiding her intentions from him. But he...he should have been able to see through that fog, to be the light that illuminated the path toward her heart.

And he couldn't.

The sudden, yet familiar feel of the presence of salt water suddenly registered in his brain, and he knew it wasn't from the sea below them.

A vitreous pearl, the embodiment of himself, fell from his eye and traced the newly minted scar on the back of his hand.

He turned said hand over, palm was facing upwards, unable to look at the memento Annabeth had left with him.

_I'm so, so sorry, Annabeth. And I want to say this to you in person, so please...come back._

* * *

Hazel paused at the door, hand poised to knock. She bit her lip in thought. _Should _she try to talk to him? After what had happened yesterday... She willed away the thoughts that resurfaced at the mention of the catastrophic events of the previous day.

_And just when we thought things were going well... _

They had saved Nico, and she was infinitely grateful for that, but at the same time, she wished they could have done the same for Annabeth. Although... With effort, she managed to ignore the snide voice in the back of her mind, the one that whispered the truth that she wished wasn't.

Maybe she wasn't the right person for this job after all. She could go back, and ask Frank to do this for her instead. But...Frank had been looking more tired than any of them, lately, often clutching his head and muttering under his breath to himself. Besides, doing that would make it sound like she believed that consoling Percy was a chore, which absolutely _wasn't._

No, that wasn't the case. In truth, she feared what lay beyond the door, and she feared what would happen if she confronted it. In perfect clarity, she could see Percy, eyes half crazed and broken with grief, madly breaking free of Jason's grip and-.

_(-"I need to save her, I need to save Annabeth! Why are you stopping me?")_

_(-"Percy, NO!")_

That scream had been her own, she later found, after the scare that Percy had given them had resided. Jason had stood over Percy, face flushed with anger. The look of insanity hadn't faded from Percy's eyes, and he stared up at Jason through lenses of broken emerald, confusion mixed with a burning rage flickering like embers in a dying inferno.

_(-What do you think you're doing?")_

Percy hadn't given a real answer, not in Hazel's opinion. He gazed off to the side, grief and realization finally sinking in.

_(-"I need to save Annabeth. She's gone. I need to save her.") _

Nico had explained, later, back on the ship.

_"It's Percy's fatal flaw, Hazel. You know, like how we have problems with holding grudges? Percy's fatal flaw is **loyalty**." _

Hazel had never doubted Nico's words before, but this statement seemed like a bit of a stretch. How could something like _loyalty _be a flaw? Wasn't loyalty a good thing?

Her half-brother's eyes had darkened. _"Too much of anything is a bad thing, Hazel. Percy's blind desire to save his friends, and even random strangers tends to get him into trouble. Like, a lot of trouble. But...that's one of the things that makes Percy who he is. I mean, he..." _Nico had trailed off, suddenly avoiding eye contact with Hazel, as if he feared her being able to read his face. Hazel had noted that his tone of voice had changed, ever so slightly, when he had spoken his last sentence. She had decided not to dwell on it, however.

Now, Hazel stood in front of the only barrier in between her and Percy, hesitating at the final step. "Percy?" She finally called, silently praying for no reaction. She heard the faint strains of a sniffle.

"Hazel?" Percy sounded strangely vulnerable, and not at all like the way he had acted before. Hazel bit her lip at this revelation.

Still, she managed a weak smile as she opened the door. She looked him over, and, with satisfaction, realized that she could no longer see those signs of crazed frenzy in his eyes. "Percy," she repeated, moving to sit next to him on the bed. "Do you...do you want to talk?" Internally, she winced at how generic she was being. Percy didn't seem to mind, however, for he simply stared off into the distance.

_Looking for Annabeth, maybe?_

_What do you say to a person who has lost the one they treasured above all else?_

_What _can _you say?_

Hazel didn't know the answer to either question, so she simply remained at her place beside Percy, gazing in the direction that he was looking at. Maybe, if she tried hard enough, she would be able to see what he saw as well.

Finally, Percy spoke. "I failed her, Hazel. I couldn't save Annabeth," he gritted his teeth as his fingernails dug into his palms. Hazel sat and listened, unsure of what else to do. "She needed me to save her and I _dropped _her. What kind of hero am I? I couldn't even save one person."

"You saved our camp. You saved _your _camp. Gods, you might as well have saved the entire world, with the way that Kronos was going," Hazel made an attempt to banish his musings.

Percy looked away. "Not without Annabeth's help. She was always there, you know? Right alongside me, saving the world. And now...she's _not._"

Silence fell over them once again, and Hazel really wished that this conversation wouldn't get anymore awkward.

Percy continued, a faraway look in his eyes as he rambled on about Annabeth. As he spoke, Hazel realized that he was constantly brushing a stray lock of hair behind his ear, as if there used to be something there.

"We'll get her back, Percy. I promise," Hazel patted Percy's hand in a gesture of comfort and stood up, heading towards the door, all things unsaid now spoken.

When she looked back at Percy, she was relieved to see that familiar spark of determination in his eyes. "I know. And when we do, I'll be the one to go up to her and say, 'Welcome Back'."

Hazel smiled, and, feeling that her duty was complete, headed back to the deck of the ship. Percy fell into step beside her, apparently ready to face the rest of the crew of the Argo II. They emerged into the open, the bright sunlight bouncing off the bronze dragon at the prow.

Jason cracked a smile at the sight of Percy. "Welcome back to the world of the living, man!" He received a somewhat flat look from Nico at this comment.

The blond's smile was returned with a confident smirk exclusive to the one and only Percy Jackson. "Thanks. He turned to the rest of the crew, a serious look crossing his face. Ephialtes said that Gaea would rise in a month. So, that means we a have a month to stop her, and a month to save Annabeth. In order to do that, we have to seal the Doors of Death in Epirus. Nico, you know where that is, don't you?"

Nico nodded. "Annabeth will probably make her way to the Doors on her side. We have to meet her there. It won't be easy, but..."

"When has life for demigods ever been easy?" Percy replied.

At that moment, Coach Hedge chose to stumble in, hefting his club over his shoulder. "Listen, kiddo, I don't need to hear all this mumbo jumbo about Gaea and the Doors and whatnot. Just tell me: Do. I. Get. To. Bash someone's head in?"

Piper's expression turned slightly concerned at Coach Hedge's display of his war-crazed tendencies. "Um, well, you can do that to the enemy, I guess...just not the Romans. Please? Or the Greeks. Or...you know what, never mind. It's not like any of us are capable of stopping you, anyway."

"You got that right, McLean!" The satyr tugged at his goatee.

Frank frowned. "But...if we have such a short time limit, even _this _ship won't be fast enough to get there."

"Well," Leo cackled, holding up the Archimedes Sphere. "That's what this baby's for! The Archimedes Sphere can upgrade the ship, and soon, the Argo II will be the most crazy-awesome ship you've ever seen! Not that it's NOT that already."

Percy grinned, all traces of depression gone. _I **will **find you, Annabeth. So you better be trying to find me, Wise Girl. I'll be waiting for you...on the other side. _"So, here's the plan: We find the doors, we smash Gaea to rubble, we save Annabeth, and then we go back to Camp Half-Blood in time to stop the Roman invasion."

Coach Hedge laughed. "Now _that's _a plan I can get behind!"

Nico gave a wan smile, steely resolve creeping into his eyes. Jason and Frank agreed heartily, while Piper and Hazel rolled their eyes at Percy's "ingenious' plan.

Leo turned to Festus, who was creaking his assent. "Raise the sails! We've got a friend to save!"

* * *

_In the end, they would all come to realize that it was a fool's dream, a false hope, a promise made between the naiveté of seven teenagers and one satyr._

_In the end, none of them would be able save Annabeth._

_In the end, their failure would divide them._

* * *

_United, we stand, divided,_ we...**fall.**


	3. Dream Into Nightmare

**Thanks to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed.**

**Also, the content between the first two page breaks are not exactly happiness and sunshine. It contains somewhat graphic descriptions of disturbing things. I think it's because I was listening to this really creepy song while writing it.**

**I have no idea how to characterize Frank.**

* * *

Percy knew that he was dreaming.

Everything about the world, from the earth that bore no scars from battle to the hand in his that he had last held a lifetime ago, was fake. Yet, with nothing else to turn to, he took solace in the illusion, the dream of what could have been had he not _failed_.

He sat by a lake, feet swirling gently in the clear depths of water. Another pair of feet, pale and feminine, joined his.

"This...this is a dream," Percy murmured.

Annabeth looked over at him, a smile lighting up her eyes. "Of course it is, Seaweed Brain."

Despite already knowing this fact, Percy couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed at the declaration.

_If only...I could escape into this dream for a little longer. Annabeth..._

Annabeth leaned over, lips brushing against his own. "I'm not gone, Percy. Not forever at least," her hand cupped his cheek, pulling him closer to her. "I'm waiting for you, Seaweed Brain. So, don't keep me waiting for long."

He felt it, then. Annabeth's touch faded away, curling off of his skin like wisps of smoke from a dying inferno. Her eyes sparkled as she said something that he couldn't make out. "A-Annabeth! Wait!" His hand swiped through empty air as he fought a fruitless battle. He needed to hold Annabeth, to make her stay, to pull her out of the darkness, he _couldn't _fail.

Not again.

"ANNABETH!" The landscape gave way, the lush greens fading to hellfire and ash, the sky a sick green. The sun whispered a goodbye, vanishing behind the shroud of fog that rolled in. The water darkened to a monochrome, and Percy saw himself reflected in the pool of night sky.

Don't you see where I am now, Percy? Percy?

Why didn't you save me?

Percy..._Percy...I'm..._I'm...**DROWNING!**

"Annabeth?!" Percy frantically whipped around, searching for the location of the source of the voice, the voice that he knew belonged to Annabeth. A slow, horrible chuckle reverberated within the depths of the Earth, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

_**Yes...YES, Son of ****Poseidon! Save your friend, Percy Jackson! Join her in the water! Join** _**_ME!_**

The last syllable became snarl, and suddenly, a figure shot out of the water. Percy leapt backward, eyes scanning the desolate land. The misshapen imitation of a human figure stood in front of him and slowly outstretched a gnarled hand toward him. Percy swallowed hard, taking quite a few steps back as he attempted to examine the lump of flesh and bone in more detail.

_"Percy...**PERCY!"**_The growl that emanated from the creature was barely human.

Percy pressed his hands to his ears. "Stop..," he didn't know WHAT the thing was, but he really didn't like the way it kept calling his name.

A shudder passed through the figure and its head tilted upwards, revealing empty eye sockets, remnants of delicate tissue and nerves dripping from the caverns like twisted facsimiles of tears. A distorted smile appeared on the burned and rotted face, cracking brittle, decaying bones in the process. Wisps of blond hair, intermixed with patches of scabs and open wounds framed the figure's head. The hand that was extended towards him stretched out even further, and he could see veins under the translucent flesh that stretched over the hand.

_"Percy...save...me..."_

_No..._Percy's eyes widened in horror as he came to an awful realization.

**"SAVE ME!: **The figure roared at him.

"No!" Percy backed away at top speed, hoping to evade the figure.

"What's wrong, _Seaweed Brain?! _Don't you love me? Don't you want me? Even though I'm like this? You owe it to me, anyway. This...**IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"**

Percy tripped over his own feet, leaving himself at the mercy of the grotesque monster that was slowly advancing upon him. His heart beat rapidly in his chest, and his breathing sped up, useless adrenaline flooding his veins. The gnarled hand came closer and closer towards his face.

_"No...ANNABETH!"_

* * *

Breakfast was an unusually silent affair that morning. Percy had stumbled towards them, eyes haggard and the remnants of tears trailing down his cheeks. No one said a thing; they all knew what he had been dreaming about. Everyone in the unhappy procession ate in silence.

Well, everyone except for Frank.

He _really _wanted to bash his head against the wall, just so that he could get his dad to _shut up. _

_"I wouldn't advise that, kiddo," _Mars snickered.

_"For once, I agree. Your skull may be thicker than molasses, but I don't think even that will protect you from a fork to the eye." _Ares conceded.

Correction: He wanted his _dads _to shut up.

_"Not an arrow to the knee?" _The Roman god sounded genuinely intrigued.

_"What does that even mean? Besides, forks make better weapons than arrows. Archers are puny wimps, standing at the sidelines and firing arrows from a distance like pansies. Oh, no offense to you, punk," _Ares' voice held a tone of deep sarcasm that Frank greatly appreciated.

He gritted his teeth. "Shut up."

Everyone in the room turned to look at him. Frank had not realized that he had said that out loud. Whoops. Hazel looked slightly concerned for his well being, at least. Nico gave a derisive noise and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like it had to do with his mental state and his dating Hazel. Frank coughed awkwardly, then waved the gazes away. "Um, I wasn't talking to you guys...carry on."

They did.

Frank sighed to himself and rubbed at his temples, grateful for the brief moment of silence that his the two halves of his father gave him, and wow that sounded really weird. Ever since war had broke out at Camp Jupiter, his dads had been in his head, giving him "helpful" advice and making derogatory comments about his person in general on a minutely basis. He had, on more than one occasion, seriously considered going into animal mode full time, but he really didn't think that he had enough power to. Also, it would definitely look at least the slightest bit suspicious if he remained as a bear for the rest of his days.

He wondered why this had happened to him and only him. None of the others, save for Percy, looked like they had Frank's problem, and he was pretty sure that the dull look in Percy's eyes and the shadows across his face were from the pain of losing Annabeth.

_Wait. No. _Not _losing. Just...missing._

Percy blamed himself, Frank knew. They had all blamed themselves. They _still _blamed themselves.

_"Fai! Wallowing in your own swamp of pity will not make you a leader, you clumsy oaf!"_

Frank could practically hear Grandmother scolding him, and it sent a slight twinge of pain into his heart, along with annoyance, because really, he did _not _need Grandmother's voice in his head along with Ares' and Mars'.

"-rank...-h-y...-FRANK!"

Frank's head shot up as he glanced around confusedly. Leo snickered in the background.

_"Kill Leo! Kill! Gut him with your spear!" _Mars commanded. Frank ignored him. Ares, surprisingly, seemed to have decided to let Mars do the talking for this particular lecture.

"H-huh?" Frank questioned, wondering who had called his name.

Hazel pursed her lips as her eyebrows creased together in a frown. "Did you hear what I said, Frank?"

"Uhhh...no?" He stammered, ignoring Mars' and Ares' dual cackling session.

"Hecate told me that we had to get to Venice in order to get to the Adriatic Sea."

"Um...okay?" Frank was lost.

_"As usual." _Ares snickered.

"Shut up," he announced to the air, earning him another procession of strange looks in the process.

"Are you _sure _you're okay?" Piper asked, kaleidoscope eyes glinting in poorly disguised humor.

"Yes," Frank replied.

_"No," _Mars disagreed.

_"Nope," _Ares concluded.

* * *

_The wind tears her apart, ripping at her clothes and ruffling her hair. She squeezes her eyes tightly shut, already feeling the tears pricking at the end of them from the biting edge of the gale._

_Alone in the darkness-_

_-Annabeth **falls**._

* * *

**Well, for this kind of short chapter, you get a bit of Mood Whiplash and triple reversal. I'M SO SORRY THAT IT'S A FILLER CHAPTER THE NEXT ONE WILL BE A LOT MORE ACTION ORIENTED.**

**Also, next chapter, which two points of view, along with Percy's (which will most likely be a default for all chapters) should I include: Annabeth's, Leo's, Jason's, Piper's, Coach Hedge's, or Nico's?**


End file.
